Alison Lewis: Third Year
by Cherri Shadows
Summary: It's Alison's third year in Hogwarts and things are starting to change more drastically than last year.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter etc.**

Chapter 1:

Alison was nervous as she stepped onto the Hogwarts' Express. She had spent the summer with Lucian and his family again but had not seen anyone else from the school at all. She hadn't even written to anyone. Instead, she just enjoyed not having the stress of school weighing down upon her.

She spotted a head of shining blonde hair and her nerves increased. She had no idea where she stood with Draco Malfoy. At the end of the previous year, Malfoy had hugged her once she was revived from being petrified. She had also discovered from two of her Gryffindor friends, Harry and Ron, that Malfoy had helped them figure out some of the information about the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, and had encouraged them to find out who had done it, for her sake.

"Hurry up, Ali!" said Lucian, pushing her along the train, gently.

Alison snapped out of her thoughts and searched for a compartment. She spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione shuffle into a compartment near the end of the train and was about to rush over to them when she heard her name being called along with Lucian's. She turned to see Marcus Flint leaning out of a compartment.

"We saved you a seat!" he said as he waved them over.

Alison followed Lucian to the compartment and froze in the doorway when she spotted Malfoy sitting next to the window. Crabbe and Goyle sat next to him, whilst Marcus sat opposite him, next to Lucian. The train began to move so Alison sat next to Lucian as Malfoy noticed her presence. He looked at her for a few seconds then looked back out the window.

It started to rain heavily and the sky was getting dark. Everyone in the compartment was silent. It seemed like they were all too tired to hold a conversation. However, something made Alison speak up.

"We're slowing down," she said as the train screeched to a halt.

She stood up to look outside the door. People in other compartments were doing the same. She spotted Harry not too far away. She was about to shout his name when the train lurched violently, sending her flying back on the floor. Lucian knelt down next to her to help her up.

"Are you alright?" he asked frantically.

Alison nodded as the lights went off.

"What's going on?" asked Malfoy, his voice full of fear.

The compartment got suddenly cold. The windows steamed up slightly and when Alison breathed she could see the mist floating from her mouth. A dark figure floated into the doorway. Malfoy squeaked and hid behind Alison shaking with Crabbe and Goyle. Marcus knelt down next to Lucian.

"What is that?" he asked.

Alison noticed the dark, tattered cloak and scabby hands. She had seen one before in one of her books.

"It's a dementor!" she whispered as it slid the door open.

Alison could hear screaming. She was unsure where it was coming from and looked around in panic. Lucian took out his wand and sent a jinx towards the dementor. It stumbled back only slightly then began to advance on them again. The six of them began to scream, holding onto each other tightly. The dementor stopped suddenly, like it was distracted by something and flew off down the hall. Five minutes later, the lights flickered back on and the train began to move again. The Slytherins were still huddled together on the floor.

Someone stopped at the door, having spotted the six cowering on the floor. It was a man in shabby clothing. He had a few scars across his face but he had kind eyes. He opened the door.

"Are you all okay? Did you get attacked too?" he asked.

"Almost," squeaked Alison, "the dementor got distracted by something."

"It was probably my patronus charm," the man mumbled to himself. He put out a hand to help Alison and the others to their feet, "I am Professor Lupin, your new defence-against-the-dark-arts teacher." He reached into his pocket and brought out three chocolate frogs, "You should eat these, they will help. I need to go and talk to the driver."

Professor Lupin left, closing the door behind him. The six looked at each other and then began to split the chocolate frogs. As Alison regained her strength she remembered the sound she had heard when the dementor had approached them.

"Did you guys hear the woman screaming too?" she asked the others.

They all shook their heads.

"I _did_ hear Malfoy screaming though!" chuckled Lucian.

Malfoy glared at him, "Hey! Flint was screaming the loudest!"

The five boys got into an argument about who was screaming whilst Alison slouched down in her seat, thinking about the haunting sounds that she had heard.

* * *

Alison sat uncomfortably at the Slytherin table, listening to the Hogwarts' choir sing. Crabbe and Goyle sat on either side of her and bobbed up and down in their seats in an attempt to begin a strange dance routine. Malfoy who was sitting opposite Alison shot disgusted looks at the boys. He looked at Alison for a second then turned to Pansy, who was sitting next to Goyle, and smiled slightly at her.

The choir finished and everyone clapped. Alison did so half-heartedly. She just wanted to go to her nice warm bed in her dormitory or sit in front of the green fire in the Slytherin common room. Dumbledore began his welcome speech and introduced Professor Lupin. Alison clapped a little louder for him, as the chocolate frogs that he had given out worked quite well. As Dumbledore continued with his speech, Malfoy leant towards the Gryffindor table and called for Harry's attention.

"Is it true you fainted?" he asked, with a sly laugh as the boy next to him mocked Harry, "You _actually_ fainted?"

Alison frowned at him and spoke up, "You weren't exactly a knight in shining armour yourself, Malfoy, so I suggest you shut up!"

Ron smiled at Alison and turned back to Dumbledore along with Harry who had nodded a thanks in Alison's direction. Malfoy glared at her.

"Who asked you, Mudblood!" snapped Crabbe, jumping to Malfoy's defence.

Crabbe received two kicks under the table, one from Lucian and one from Marcus, and a shove from Malfoy. Crabbe frowned at Malfoy, whilst Alison looked at him, half angry, half grateful. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the word _dementors_. She turned to Lucian.

"What about dementors?" she asked him.

"They're staying at the school," he whispered back.

"Well this is going to be a fun year," muttered Alison with her head in her hands.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter etc.**

**Sorry that it has taken a while to update, I've had a lot of work to do. I will try to update more often.  
**

Chapter 2:

Having learned that Hagrid was the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Alison decided to wake up early and go and visit him before Divination. Hagrid was just leaving his hut as she arrived. She called out to him and waved.

"Hello there, Alison, I haven't seen you for a while!" he said, patting her on the shoulder causing her to stumble a bit.

"I know, sorry about that. I thought I'd come down and congratulate you on your new teaching position!"

"Aw well thank you," replied Hagrid with a smile, "I'm just off into the Forest to feed the host of today's lesson. You're welcome to tag along."

Alison grinned and nodded, following Hagrid to the Forest. She remembered being there in her first year with Harry and Malfoy and getting chased away by a creature that turned out to be Lord Voldemort/Professor Quirrell. Hopefully the Forest wasn't as creepy during the day. They stopped at a small clearing. Alison spotted something tied to a tree with its head resting beneath its wing. She smiled as she realised what it was.

"That's a hippogriff right?" she asked, receiving a nod from Hagrid, "I saw one in the Monster Book of Monsters! They're amazing!"

"I'm glad to hear that you've done some preparation for the class. His name is Buckbeak, would you like to feed him?"

"I can do that?" asked Alison in shock.

Hagrid nodded and explained the routine for greeting a hippogriff, though Alison already knew it. She bowed to Buckbeak who cocked his head to the side and then bowed back. Alison slowly made her way towards the magnificent beast. She had to contain her excitement as she touched the fluffy feathers of Buckbeak's head. Hagrid handed her what appeared to be a dead ferret. Alison took it and Buckbeak slowly began to eat it out of her hand.

"Wow," muttered Alison, "this is so cool!"

"Well, you can come to visit him whenever you like!" said Hagrid, "Oh, you better get a move on if you don't want to be late for your first lesson!"

Alison nodded, thanked Hagrid and hurried off towards the castle in search of the Divination classroom. When she finally arrived, everyone was already in their seats, though the professor wasn't there yet. She waved at Harry and Ron who were sitting at a small table near the front of the class.

"Ali!" shouted Blaise Zabini from across the room.

He pointed to the seat next to him. He was at the table by Malfoy and Pansy who were deep in conversation. Both were smiling and laughing a lot. As Alison sat down beside Blaise, Malfoy looked over and gave her a small, half-hidden smile. Alison smiled slightly then turned away. Blaise handed her a cup of tea; looking around, Alison noticed that everyone had tea and most people had finished theirs. She gulped down the cup, which was only slightly warm and then turned to the front of the class as the professor entered the room. She didn't seem to be walking – it was more like gliding. Her hair was frizzy and uncombed and her glasses made her eyes seem larger than they were.

The class went quiet as she began to speak.

"Welcome, my children," she said in a voice that could even send Hermione to sleep.

It was then that Alison realised that Hermione was nowhere to be seen. She looked around for a few seconds then turned back to the teacher as giggles erupted from the class.

"I am Professor Trelawney. Together we shall cast ourselves into the future!" she declared with dramatic hand movements, "This term, we shall be focusing on Tasseomancy, which is the art of reading tea leaves so please, take the cup of the person sitting opposite you."

Alison smiled at Blaise and took his cup as he took hers. The tea leaves at the bottom were supposed to make some sort of shape which would determine an aspect of their future. Professor Trelawney continued to speak as Alison examined the cup. Another voice brought Alison out of concentration as it appeared that Hermione was sitting between Ron and Harry. She looked over at Alison and waved. Alison just pointed at her in response, clearly confused at her sudden appearance.

The professor approached Harry, Ron and Hermione and addressed Ron.

"Your aura is pulsing dear, are you in the beyond? I think you are!" she said excitedly.

Ron looked slightly afraid and nodded.

"Look at the cup, tell me what you see!"

Ron fumbled through the pages of his book and examined the cup hurriedly and began his explanation.

"Well, Harry's got, sort of, a wonky cross: that's trials and suffereing. And that, there could be the sun and that's happiness. So you're going to suffer but you're going to happy about it," he concluded.

"That's crazy!" whispered Blaise.

Alison chuckled, "That's optimism."

They laughed a little but were interrupted by Trelawney's outburst.

"You have the Grim!" she said to Harry, dramatically.

A Gryffindor boy explained the meaning of the Grim – an omen of death. The class was quiet for a few minutes before getting back to trying to translate the symbols they found in the tea leaves. Alison looked back at Blaise's cup.

"So, what's mine?" he asked after a while.

"It just looks like a lump of mush to me," Alison replied, slightly disappointed, "how about mine?"

"Well, it kind of looks like a bell, which means you're going to receive some unexpected news," he said, reading from the book.

"That's a bit generic, I might as well read a muggle horoscope!" sighed Alison, placing Blaise's cup back on the table.

Blaise began to examine his own cup whilst Alison sat back and glanced around the room.

"No it's not! You're just making that up!"

Alison looked beside her at Malfoy and Pansy who were arguing. Malfoy was accusing Pansy of making up what she could see in the cup.

"But that's what it looks like, Draco!" she said in a whiny voice.

Malfoy snatched the cup from her and looked at the tea leaves himself.

"There's no way that this looks like a love-heart!" he snapped. He turned to Alison and forced the cup in her direction, "Could you look at it? I can't trust her!"

Alison was taken aback by the fact that Malfoy felt that he could trust her. She stared at him for a couple of seconds in shock but then forced herself to focus and took the cup from him. She tilted her head, deep in thought. She could sense Malfoy watching her and she had to admit that it was slightly distracting.

"Er, it's a house, I think. That means change, apparently," she said, handing him the cup back.

"What kind of change?" he asked, looking at the cup.

Alison shrugged and began to turn away when Malfoy touched her arm.

"Thank you," he said with a smile, "now I know who to partner with next time!"

Alison smiled a little then turned back to Blaise who was smirking at her.

"What?" she asked, blushing slightly.

Blaise shook his head and looked back at his cup.

Alison and Blaise headed outside toward the Care of Magical Creatures class. Alison was practically skipping, excited to see Buckbeak again. She hadn't told Blaise or anyone else what was in store for their first lesson. As they arrived, Hagrid called her over.

"How would you like to help out a bit during the lesson?" he asked her quietly.

"Really?" asked Alison excitedly.

Hagrid grinned and nodded, "I need you to keep Beaky calm – he's not used to crowds, you see. Could you go back to the clearing now and just stay with him?"

Alison nodded wildly and rushed off into the Forest to find Buckbeak. Beaky was sitting down when she found him. She bowed at him and after receiving a bow in return she sat next to him and began to stroke his soft feathers.

Alison could hear the voices of her classmates growing louder, so she stood up and encouraged Buckbeak to do the same. He seemed slightly agitated as the voices got even louder. Hagrid called for Alison to bring him in front of the group and then handed her a ferret. She held onto the rope that made a lead for him and pulled him softly towards the crowd. He began to shuffle on the spot so Alison stroked him again calming him down.

Everyone was staring at Buckbeak, obviously scared.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid said to the class, "Say hello to Buckbeak!"

Beaky stood still, staring at them all. Alison decided to throw the ferret up. Buckbeak immediately lost his shyness and leapt up to get the ferret, making the class gasp in amazement.

"What is that?" asked Ron in shock.

"_He_ is a hippogriff!" said Alison, emphasising the fact that Beaky was a _he_ and not an _it_.

"That's right," said Hagrid, "first thing you want to know about hippogriffs is that they're very proud creatures – very easily offended. You do not want to insult a hippogriff. It may just be the last thing you ever do!"

Hagrid turned to smile at Alison and Buckbeak before saying, "Now, who would like to say hello?"

Alison frowned slightly as the whole class shuffled backwards apart from Harry who was completely oblivious to what was going on. Hagrid turned back around and thanked Harry for volunteering. Alison brought Buckbeak forward slightly as Harry began to step forward. Hagrid gave him step-by-step instructions.

Harry bowed, just like Alison had done. At first, Beaky became agitated again. Hagrid told Harry to step back, but he stepped on a twig, causing Buckbeak to glare at him. Harry kept still whilst the hippogriff made up his mind. Alison stroked Beaky, hoping that it would help. It did, as he bowed back to Harry. The rest of the class applauded whilst Alison gave Harry a thumbs-up.

"You can go and pat him now!" said Hagrid to a very frightened Harry.

Harry edged forward slowly. Alison allowed Buckbeak to approach Harry but she kept hold of the rope just in case. Eventually, Harry stroked Buckbeak earning another round of applause from the class.

"He's amazing isn't he?" Alison whispered to Harry who nodded in response.

"I think he'll let you ride him now!" said Hagrid, "Both of you!"

Harry immediately started to panic, whereas Alison jumped up and down excitedly. Harry was lifted up onto Buckbeak first. Alison was able to climb up herself due to a sudden burst of adrenaline. She held onto Harry who was holding onto Beaky's neck, worried he was going to fall. Buckbeak began to charge across the clearing and took off. They began to fly around the school. Alison cheered, raising her arms as if she were on a rollercoaster. Soon after, as they were flying over the lake, Harry did the same and they were both cheering and laughing.

"This is so much better than flying on a broom, hey Harry?" shouted Alison over the rush of the wind.

"Definitely! This is amazing!" replied Harry.

They finally landed in the clearing again. Hagrid helped Alison off first, who thanked him and then began to stroke Buckbeak again in the same way that she would stroke her cat, Bugs. Harry was speaking to Hagrid whilst she played with Buckbeak. However, she spun around at the sound of someone approaching. She stepped aside as Malfoy strutted towards them.

"You're not dangerous at all are you?" he said, stopping in front of Buckbeak, "You great ugly brute!"

Buckbeak immediately reacted, squawking angrily. The class screamed as he stood on his hind legs, lashing out with his talons. Alison tried to push Malfoy out of the way but not quick enough. They were both thrown backwards onto the rough ground. Blood appeared on Alison's right arm. Malfoy cried in pain as his own wound was exposed.

"It's killed me!" he said in a pathetic voice.

Alison stood up frowning and examined her injury. It was only a scratch and she was sure that Malfoy's was the same. Hagrid picked Malfoy up and began to carry him towards the hospital wing. Alison stopped to stroke Beaky who nudged her arm apologetically. She smiled and hurried off after Hagrid and Malfoy.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry that it has taken a while to update, I've had to re-write this chapter because I didn't like what I had originally written. Thank you for the reviews, they make me want to keep writing. I hope you like this chapter.**

Chapter 3:

Lucian hugged Alison as she entered the Great Hall with a bandage wrapped around her arm. She laughed and stepped back.

"It was just a scratch!" she said, sitting at the Slytherin table.

Lucian sat down next to her and Blaise appeared on her other side.

"Malfoy made it sound like a near-death experience," said Blaise with a chuckle.

Alison looked down the table to where Draco was sitting with his arm in a sling and shook her head.

"He's so dramatic!" she said, folding her arms angrily, "I got hit more than him and I'm not making a big deal out of it! He's just looking for sympathy!"

Someone cleared their throat behind her. She whizzed around to see Malfoy standing there with his eyebrow raised.

"What?" Alison snapped.

"I-I just wanted to say...thanks, I guess, for trying to push me out of the way," he said with a shrug – both arms working perfectly fine.

"Oh," said Alison, softening her voice a little, "you're welcome. But you shouldn't have provoked Beaky in the first place."

Malfoy shrugged again and headed back towards Pansy and the rest of the crowd that had gathered around him.

"You pushed him out of the way?" asked Lucian.

"Well, yeah," replied Alison, not liking the look she was getting from him, "he could have been badly hurt and that wouldn't do Buckbeak or Hagrid any good."

"Yeah, ok, you did it for Buckbeak and Hagrid," said Blaise, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Alison looked between the two boys, "Yeah, I did! Why are you being so funny about this?"

The boys smirked and shook their heads. Alison frowned at them and left the table, heading towards Defence Against the Dark Arts.

The class all stood in the middle of the room opposite Professor Lupin and a wardrobe that shuddered every few seconds. After a few minutes of watching the moving wardrobe, Lupin spoke to the class.

"Intriguing isn't it? Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what is inside?"

Dean Thomas answered, "That's a boggart."

Professor Lupin congratulated him on the right answer and asked another question, "Can anybody tell me what a boggart looks like?"

"No one knows," said Hermione who had suddenly appeared again, "boggarts are shape-shifters: they take the shape of whatever a particular person fears the most. That's what makes them so-"

"So terrifying," continued Lupin, realising that she was quoting from a book, "Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a boggart. Let's practice it now – without wands please. After me: _Riddikulus_!"

The class repeated it and Lupin asked them to be louder. Everyone repeated it again.

"This class is ridiculous!" muttered Malfoy who was standing near Alison.

She shot him an angry look and turned back to the front of the class.

"You see, the incantation alone is not enough," said Lupin, "what really finishes a boggart is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape that you find truly amusing. Let me explain. Neville will you join me, please?"

Neville Longbottom nervously made his way towards the front of the class.

"Neville, what frightens you most of all?" asked Lupin.

Neville mumbled something unintelligible so he had to repeat it loud enough for the class to hear.

"Professor Snape," he said, looking down.

The class laughed, even Alison let out a little giggle. She had never found Snape the slightest bit scary – he was her favourite teacher and his mannerisms often made her laugh. Like the dramatic pauses he made when instructing a class.

Everyone laughed again and Alison snapped out of her thoughts realising that she had missed part of what Lupin and Neville were discussing. Lupin was now standing behind Neville and had just opened the wardrobe with his wand. The boggart version of Professor Snape walked out, glaring at Neville. After a few seconds, he pointed his wand at the boggart and shrieked the incantation they had just learned. Boggart-Snape stumbled slightly and was suddenly wearing a green dress, a vulture-topped hat, a fox-fur scarf and carrying a red handbag. The class erupted with laughter, apart from the Slytherins, though Alison chuckled a little, earning a glare from Malfoy. Lupin laughed and told everyone to form a line. Alison followed the rest of the Slytherins to the back – she wasn't really in the mood to battle an enormous tarantula and Ron was near the front anyway. There was no point her getting all squeamish twice. Lupin put on music and people began to battle the boggart.

"What would yours be?" Blaise asked Alison as they lounged around at the back of the line.

"Any kind of spider," said Alison, shuddering as Ron took his turn against what looked like a Black Widow spider, "what about yours?"

"I don't really know, I couldn't say what I am scared of, I've never really been scared."

"Well you might be one of the lucky ones then," said Alison. She turned to Malfoy who was looking very grumpy, "How about you?"

He laughed, "I'm not scared of anything!"

Alison raised an eyebrow, "So on the train, when the dementor came, you hid behind me for _my_ protection then?"

He frowned, "I wasn't scared!"

"No, no of course you weren't!" said Alison mockingly, earning a laugh from Blaise.

"You were scared!" snapped Malfoy.

"Yeah, I was and I'm not afraid to admit it which kind of makes me less of a coward than you," replied Alison with her arms folded.

Malfoy looked at Blaise who began to speak.

"I'd have been scared if I was there – dementors are creepy," he said.

Alison smiled at him, "It was very brave of you to admit that, Blaise,"

The two of them looked at Draco from the corner of their eyes, trying to fight back smirks. Draco looked between them both and sighed, "Fine, I was scared."

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear you," said Blaise.

"I was scared!" snapped Draco, folding his arms defensively.

"Aw poor Draco!" whined Pansy, putting her arms around him.

Draco pushed her away and avoided eye contact with the people around him. Alison patted him on the shoulder and turned back to Blaise.

The class soon ended and everyone began to file out of the room. As Professor Lupin walked past Alison, he stopped and pulled a face. Alison smiled slightly and he clicked his fingers.

"Alison Lewis!" he exclaimed, "Wow you're the spitting image of her!"

He shook Alison's hand. She raised an eyebrow and sent Blaise a confused look. He shrugged in response and watched the odd encounter with interest.

"I'm sorry, sir," said Alison, "I don't understand."

"Your mother! You look so much like her – you smile just like her," replied Professor Lupin.

Alison laughed a little, "How do you know my mother? She's a muggle."

Lupin's smile faltered and he let go of her hand, "Y-you don't know..."

"Know what, sir?" asked Alison growing worried.

"I'm sorry," said Lupin hurriedly, "I better be off. Lots of work to do!"

Lupin rushed away from Alison and through the crowds of students.

"What was that all about?" asked Blaise.

Alison shrugged and they walked to the Great Hall. During dinner, she glanced over at the teachers' table every so often to see Lupin looking at her awkwardly. A shadow cast over her halfway through dessert.

"Miss Lewis," said Snape in his monotonous voice, "Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office."

Lucian sent Alison a worried look as she followed Snape from the Great Hall.

* * *

Alison sat down opposite Dumbledore's desk. He was staring at her sadly and didn't speak. Snape stood next to the desk with his arms folded. There was a knock at the door and in walked Professor Lupin who stood on the other side of the desk. He looked at Alison apologetically before Dumbledore began to speak.

"Let me begin by saying I am sorry, Miss Lewis," he said in his calm, elderly voice, "I should have spoken to you about this before now." Alison shifted in her seat as Dumbledore continued to speak. "The woman that you have believed to be your mother, the woman who you lived with before you came to Hogwarts, she is your aunt. Your mother's squib sister."

Alison shook her head, "Wait a minute, _she's_ not my mother? Who's my real mother then? Is my dad even my dad?" She was beginning to get angry.

"No he is not, he is a muggle that your aunt married," said Dumbledore, "your real mother was a witch – Madison Lewis."

Professor Lupin suddenly looked at Dumbledore who seemed to send him a secret message from the corner of his eye.

Alison's lip trembled, "My mum was a witch?"

Dumbledore nodded. Alison slouched down in the chair and put her head in her hands. She needed to think. She couldn't breathe. Something scraped across the table and Alison looked up to see Dumbledore sliding a cup of butterbeer towards her. She took it and drank a few huge gulps before taking a deep breath and speaking again.

"She's dead," she said.

Dumbledore nodded again.

"How?"

"She died when you were born," said Dumbledore, earning another look from Lupin.

Alison didn't notice Lupin's look and spoke again.

"What about my dad?"

"No one knows where he is – he went missing on the day you were born."

"Who is he?"

"That doesn't matter," said Dumbledore, "from what I have heard, you have a new family – Lucian Bole and his parents. That is all that matters."

Alison laughed angrily, "So I've been lied to this entire time?" Rage ran through her body. She stood up and threw her arms up in the air sending the empty butterbeer cup across the room, "This is ridiculous! I deserve to know who my real family are! I can't believe that no one told me! You're supposed to be a great wizard and you can't even tell a teenage girl who her real parents are!"

"You do not need to know, Miss Lewis, maybe when you're a little older you will find out," said Dumbledore, remaining calm.

Alison scoffed and stormed out of the office.

"Why didn't you tell her?" asked Lupin after the door had slammed shut.

"She's young; knowing who he is could change who she is for better or for worse. I am not willing to take that chance – she could be a very smart and powerful witch. I want her to follow her heart, not her family."

"I hate to point this out, sir," said Snape, "but she is already beginning to-"

"I know, Severus," sighed Dumbledore, "please keep an eye on her." He turned to Lupin, "Both of you."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. I'm going to try and update more often. Let me know what you think of this chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait and thank you for the reviews. I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 today and wanted to write again. I hope you like this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter etc.**

Chapter 4:

The door of the girls' dormitory burst open and Pansy Parkinson stormed in. Alison looked up at her and then back out of the window by her bed.

"Lucian and Blaise are waiting for you!" she said impatiently.

Alison sighed and ignored her. Pansy whined loudly.

"Come on, Draco won't leave without Blasie who won't leave without you. And I want to go to Hogsmeade with Draco so can you just come downstairs?"

Alison sighed again and followed the whining girl out of the dormitory and into the Slytherin common room. Lucian gave her an encouraging smile as she joined the group and Blaise put an arm around her shoulders. Draco stared at them then led the group out of the castle.

"The Three Broomsticks is the best place to start," said Lucian, leading them to the inn, "we can get a couple of butterbeers and figure out where to go next."

When they got inside the inn, they found it full of Hogwarts students. Alison spotted Ron and Hermione in the corner and abandoned her friends for a few minutes to go and see them.

"No Harry?" she asked, standing next to their table.

Hermione smiled up at Alison, "Hi, Ali! We haven't seen you for while. And no, Harry didn't get his form signed."

"That's a shame," said Alison, "you ok, Ron?"

Ron was looking very uncomfortable in his seat opposite Hermione. He nodded stiffly and gulped down his butterbeer.

"We heard about you parents," said Hermione after a few seconds of silence.

"News travels fast around Hogwarts," said Alison, folding her arms.

"I'm sorry Alison," said Hermione, "if you ever want to talk or anything..."

"Thanks, Hermione," interrupted Alison, "anyway, I better get back to my table."

Hermione nodded and waved goodbye as Alison left and sat down with her fellow Slytherins. Lucian passed her a glass of butterbeer. She smiled slightly and drank it quickly. Once she finished she gazed around the inn, waving at a few people such as Neville Longbottom and Cedric Diggory. The others were trying to decide on the best place to go next and Alison casually listened in on the conversation.

"I say we go to Zonko's Joke Shop," said Blaise, "when was the last time we played a good prank?"

"No, no we should go to The Shrieking Shack!" said Draco.

"No!" whined Pansy, "We should go to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop! It's supposed to be great for couples. I know you'd feel a little left out Lucian but I'm sure we can find you someone."

"What?" asked Alison, taking in what Pansy had said, "What do you mean Lucian would feel left out?"

"I mean, well, I'm with Draco and you're with Blaise..."

"Hang on a second, Alison's not with Blaise!" said Draco. He turned to look at Alison, "Are you?"

"What? No!" said Alison, "No offence, Blaise."

"None taken," he said with a smile.

The table grew silent. Draco continued to stare between Alison and Blaise. Lucian sat back with a smirk on his face. Alison cleared her throat.

"I agree with Draco, let's go to the Shrieking Shack," she said.

They left The Three Broomsticks and headed towards the Shack. Lucian walked with Alison.

"Are you ok?" he asked her.

She nodded.

"Mum says not to worry and that Dumbledore is right – all that matters now is your new family,"

"Yeah," said Alison.

"So...are we going home for Christmas this year?" asked Lucian.

Alison shrugged, "I've been thinking that, maybe, if it's ok with you, I'll go home-home. To my aunt and uncle."

Lucian stopped walking, "Why would you want that? Don't you want to live with us anymore?"

"Of course I do, Lucian," said Alison. She rubbed the back of her neck, "I just want to talk to them. See if I can find out about my parents. It would only be for a few days."

Lucian sighed, "And you'll be back for Christmas Day?"

Alison smiled and said, "I'll be back for Christmas Eve."

Lucian hugged her just as Blaise shouted for them to hurry up. They caught up with the others.

After visiting the Shrieking Shack, they went to Honeyduke's Sweet Shop. They all separated to find their own sweets. Alison examined a packet of peppermint toads as Draco appeared next to her. He held up a blood-flavoured lollipop and handed it to her. She smiled and took it.

"So you and Blaise..."

"No," she said, turning back to the peppermint toads.

"Cool," said Draco. He put his hands in his pockets and followed Alison as she wandered through the shop. "So what are you doing when we get back?"

Alison shrugged, "Probably go and see Buckbeak."

"Why?" asked Draco in disgust, "It's a foul creature!"

Alison whirled around and frowned at him, "_He_ is an amazing creature. You're the foul one for provoking him!" She thrust the lollipop back into his hands before turning back around and looking at the other sweets.

Draco sighed, "Sorry." He paused and thought about what to say next, "Maybe I could come with you?"

Alison looked at him, puzzled, "I'm not sure Beaky would like that and besides, your arm is supposedly still injured."

"My arm is fine; Flint has me pretending that it's still injured so we can get out of our match with Gryffindor. Come on, surely you'd want to prove to me that Buckbeak's not that bad."

Alison frowned at him, "Fine. But if you're mean to him again, I'm going to let him rip you to shreds."

Draco smiled and handed her the lollipop again. Alison took it and held back a small smile.

* * *

"Keep up, it'll be getting dark soon," ordered Alison as she led Draco to the Forbidden Forest.

Draco jogged to catch up with her and stayed silent.

They arrived at the clearing as the sun was starting to disappear. Buckbeak stood up from his spot by a tree and tried to run towards Alison but was stopped short by the rope tying him to the tree. Alison bowed to him before hurrying over and stoking his feathers. Draco cleared his throat catching their attention. Buckbeak grew agitated at the sight of Draco. Alison stroked him soothingly.

"Ok, bow, Draco," she instructed.

Draco bowed hesitantly, keeping an eye on Buckbeak. The hippogriff squawked angrily but Alison continued to try and calm him.

"This is a waste of time..." said Draco but Alison ordered him to be quiet.

"Just give him a minute."

Eventually, Buckbeak bowed back. Alison smiled and told Draco to walk over slowly.

Draco reluctantly walked forward, "What if he attacks me again?"

"What, are you scared Draco?" asked Alison with a teasing smile.

"Of course not!" snapped Draco, glaring at her.

Alison laughed, "Just be nice and you'll be fine."

Draco sighed and slowly made his way towards them. He stopped right in front of Buckbeak and just stared at him.

"Stroke him then," said Alison with a laugh.

Draco bit his lip and his hand twitched slightly. Alison sighed, grabbed his hand and moved it along Buckbeak's soft feathers.

"He's not so scary is he?" said Alison, smiling.

Draco shook his head and smiled a little. After a few seconds he cleared his throat, catching Alison's attention.

"Do you think I could have my hand back now?" he asked with a nervous chuckle.

Alison felt her ears grow hot and immediately snapped her hand away from his.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, let me know what you think. Hopefully I'll be able to update soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter etc.**

Chapter 5:

When Alison and Draco got back to the castle, they were greeted with crowds of students outside the Great Hall. They looked around worriedly. Alison spotted Neville Longbottom standing alone, searching for someone.

"Neville," she called, "what's going on?"

He hurried over, "The portrait to the Gryffindor common room was attacked! It was Sirius Black."

Alison turned to Draco nervously who stood closer to her. He looked at Neville.

"Is he still in the castle?" he asked coldly.

Neville stared at him in fear, shrugged his shoulders and hurried off, secretly waving at Alison as he left.

"Well that was nice of you, Draco," said Alison sarcastically.

"What did I do?"

"You should have spoken to him kindly,"

Draco shrugged, "It's only Longbottom."

Alison frowned, "You're frustrating."

"What?" asked Draco, following her as she began to storm away.

"It doesn't matter," muttered Alison, clearly still annoyed with him.

Draco turned her around, "No, what is it?"

Alison continued to scowl at him and they stood in silence until two arms thrust themselves around Draco's neck. Draco staggered slightly and groaned when he realised who it was.

"Oh Draco, I was so worried!" exclaimed Pansy Parkinson, hugging Draco tightly.

Alison rolled her eyes. Blaise and Lucian appeared beside her.

"Where have you been?" asked Lucian angrily.

"Calm down," said Alison, "I only went to see Buckbeak."

"Alone! Do you know how dangerous that is with Sirius Black on the loose?"

"I wasn't alone, Draco came with me!" snapped Alison.

Lucian stepped back and raised an eyebrow at Draco who was staring at Alison whilst trying to push Pansy away from him. A booming voice caught their attention. Professor Dumbledore stood outside the doors of the Great Hall and was calling for everyone to listen.

"For your own safety, all students will sleep in the Great Hall tonight. Sleeping bags will be provided. Now, all of you go inside"

The students all filed into the Great Hall. They picked out their sleeping bags and a spot to sleep. Lucian picked a space in the corner and Alison, Blaise, Draco and Pansy followed him. They settled down and the hall was filled with the whispers of the students. Professor Dumbledore called for silence and the candles were put out.

Alison laid her head down, facing away from the others and staring at the wall. Someone tapped her on the back but she ignored them. They tapped her again so she whirled around angrily.

Draco smiled apologetically at her, "Sorry," he said, "I just wanted to say thanks, for taking me with you to see Buckbeak."

Alison's expression softened and she nodded, "You're welcome, Draco."

Draco smiled, "Goodnight."

"Night."

Draco turned around in his sleeping bag and lay down. Alison stared at him for a moment then lay flat on her back, staring at the enchanted ceiling watching the stars and the moon.

* * *

Alison woke up to someone poking her back. She tried to ignore it but whoever it was jabbed her harder so she turned around and pushed them away without opening her eyes.

"Hey!" snapped Blaise.

Alison opened her eyes slightly and frowned at him.

"Don't wake me up then!" she replied.

Blaise shook his head, "We have to go back to our common rooms now - its morning."

Alison groaned and rolled back over.

"Fine!" said Blaise. Alison squealed as he picked her up, "I'll take you back myself."

Alison laughed as he carried her through the Great Hall. A few people stared at them as they left whilst others giggled and pointed. Lucian, Draco and Pansy were outside the hall and looked at the two of them confused.

"She wouldn't get up," said Blaise, as Alison put her feet onto the ground.

Draco raised an eyebrow at them and then turned to Pansy. They walked back to their dormitories and got dressed before heading back down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"What is everyone doing today, then?" asked Lucian, paying particular attention to Alison.

"I need to go to the library and get some work done," said Alison, buttering her toast.

"I'll go with you," said Lucian.

"No, I don't need a babysitter,"

"I'm going with you Alison; it's not safe for you to be alone!"

"It's not safe for _anybody_ to be alone!" snapped Alison.

"Look, just calm down, I'll go with Ali," said Blaise.

Lucian looked at Blaise for a second, then back at Alison who nodded in agreement with Blaise.

"Maybe you should take Draco and Pansy with you too," he said, gesturing towards the couple beside them, "safety in numbers."

"We'll be ok on our own," said Alison, getting even more annoyed.

"No, we'll go with you," said Draco, ignoring the whining Pansy.

"It's the library, Madam Pince will be there – we'll be fine," said Alison.

"That didn't stop you from getting petrified last year!" hissed Draco.

Alison tensed up. She threw her toast down on the table and stormed out of the Great Hall. Blaise hurried after her before sending Draco and angry look.

He found Alison in the library, piling books onto a table.

"Ali," he said quietly.

She had heard him but continued to pick up books as if he wasn't there.

"You know he's just worried – we all are."

"He didn't have to bring it up," said Alison, sitting at the table. Blaise sat next to her. "He acted like I don't remember what happened last year. Of course I remember. I thought I was going to die! But that doesn't mean I'm going to live my life being scared of going anywhere alone."

"That's brave of you Alison," said Blaise, "but you have to understand that Draco worries about you – he cares..."

"Draco Malfoy is incapable of caring for anything or anyone but himself," said Alison, "every time I think that maybe he is a nice guy and that he actually does care, he does something cold and heartless. He has no feelings."

"You and I both know that is a lie, Ali," said Blaise.

Alison looked down at her blank piece of parchment.

"Don't be so judgemental," continued Blaise, "give him a chance to show you how great a friend he can be."

Alison shrugged and began her homework.

By dinner time Alison and Blaise had finished their homework and left the library. They were on their way to the Great Hall when they spotted Draco walking a little way ahead of them. Blaise gave Alison a look before they both joined him.

"Finish your homework?" asked Draco, not looking at either of them.

"Yeah," said Alison, looking at the ground as they walked. She looked at Blaise who nodded at her, "so, what did you do today?"

Draco shrugged. Alison looked at Blaise with a confused expression.

"Everything ok?" she asked.

"Everything is fine," he said, "sorry about this morning – bringing up last year and everything."

"Oh, well, you were..." Alison looked at Blaise then back at Draco, "you were just trying to look out for me. Sorry for storming off."

Draco's mouth twitched slightly.

"There, don't we all feel better?" asked Blaise with a smile.

Alison smiled awkwardly but Draco frowned.

"Apparently, I don't _feel_ at all, Blaise," snapped Draco, beginning to walk away.

Alison grabbed Draco's "good" arm to stop him.

"You were eavesdropping?" she shouted.

"You shouldn't have said that about me!" he shouted back.

A few people stared at them.

"I was angry!" shouted Alison.

"Well now I'm angry!"

"You shouldn't have eavesdropped!"

"I was worried! And I followed to say I was sorry!"

"Well thank you!" shouted Alison, still in shouting mode, "I'm sorry too!"

"Apology accepted!" shouted Draco.

The two were still frowning at each other. Blaise stood aside, trying not to get involved and a small crowd had formed around them. Alison and Draco continued to glare at each other until Alison began to laugh. Draco joined her and soon they were laughing so much that tears came to their eyes. Once they calmed down, they hugged each other and walked to the Great Hall, Blaise and the crowd staring after them in shock.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter etc.**

Chapter 6:

The defence-against-the-dark-arts class settled down in their seats waiting for Professor Lupin's arrival. Alison and Blaise sat behind Draco and Crabbe who had turned around to talk to them.

"Not sitting with Pansy today then, Draco?" asked Blaise.

Draco chuckled, "No, I can't stand her most of the time – I need a break."

"If you can't stand her, why are you with her?" asked Alison, confused.

Draco shrugged, "It's better than being single?"

Alison raised an eyebrow at him, "You know, I'm not Pansy's biggest fan but that's a little unfair on her, Draco."

Draco laughed, "How? She's happy."

"You're making her think that you really like her when you don't. You're lying to her."

"Are you going to give me another lecture?" asked Draco with a teasing smile.

Since Alison and Draco's argument outside the Great Hall, Alison had started to give Draco long talks about his bad actions – picking on Neville, calling Hermione names and teasing the Weasleys.

"I just think that you should really think about how this all effects Pansy," said Alison, looking down at her book and flicking through the pages.

Draco remained silent as Blaise started to speak to Crabbe. He watched Alison as she skimmed through the pages. He sighed and spoke to her quietly, not wanting the others to hear.

"Well, it's not like anyone else would want to be with me," he whispered.

Alison looked up at him sadly, "Draco, you underestimate yourself. Pretty much every girl in Slytherin is crazy about you."

Draco sighed, "Not every girl."

The door to the classroom burst open and in stalked Professor Snape. He magically closed all of the shutters and stopped at the screen at the front of the room.

"Turn to page three-hundred-and-ninety-four," he said.

Draco turned around to face the front, leaving Alison to stare at the back of his head. After a few minutes, she looked back at her book and turned to the page. She smiled when she saw what they were studying.

"Werewolves?" exclaimed Ron.

"But sir," said Hermione, appearing next to Harry, "we've just begun learning about redcaps and hinkypunks. We're not meant to start nocturnal beasts for weeks!"

"Quiet," said Snape sternly, who was now standing by the projector at the back of the room, "now then, which one of you can tell me the difference between and animagus and a werewolf?"

Hermione's hand shot up. Alison knew the answer and she guessed that Blaise did too but they stayed silent, knowing that Snape preferred it when people didn't answer questions. They thought it gave him a sense of power knowing that he knew more than his students. However, Hermione's hand remained in the air.

"No one?" asked Snape, ignoring Hermione, "How disappointing."

"Please, sir," said Hermione, causing Alison to wince. She knew that this would end badly. "An animagus is a wizard who elects to turn into an animal. A werewolf has no choice. With each full moon, when he transforms, he no longer remembers who he is. He'd kill his best friend if he crossed his path. Furthermore the werewolf only responds to the call of its own kind."

Draco howled like a werewolf, causing Alison, Blaise and Crabbe to smile. Alison hoped that this would lighten the mood and maybe Snape wouldn't be too harsh with Hermione.

"Thank you, Mr Malfoy," said Snape. He turned to Hermione, "That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger. Are you incapable of restraining yourself or do you take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all?"

"He's got a point, you know," said Ron.

Alison sent Hermione a sympathetic look.

"Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape. Draco sent a piece of paper towards Harry whilst Snape continued, "as an antidote to your ignorance, and on my desk by Monday morning, two rolls of parchment on the werewolf with particular emphasis on recognising it."

The class groaned and Harry spoke up.

"Sir, its Quidditch tomorrow!"

"Then I suggest you take extra care, Mr Potter," said Snape, threateningly, "loss of limb will not excuse you. Page three-hundred-and-ninety-four."

Professor Snape carried on with his lesson. Alison found it very interesting even though she had been looking forward to learning more about redcaps. She had no doubt that Professor Lupin had prepared a demonstration for them.

When the lesson ended, Alison left the boys and went over to Hermione.

"Are you ok?" she asked her.

"I guess," said Hermione.

"Do you want to head to the library and get started on the homework?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. As they left, Alison waved goodbye to Blaise, Draco and Crabbe. Hermione looked puzzled.

"I don't understand you sometimes, Ali," she said with a small chuckle, "you and the other Slytherins."

"What do you mean?"

"I understand that you're friends with Lucian – he's been so nice to you since first year. And Zabini has been really friendly towards you, but Malfoy? I thought you hated him and vice versa?"

Alison smiled, "I don't know, I guess we don't hate each other. We just have a difference of opinion on some things and sometimes he says things he shouldn't. But other than that, we have fun – he came with me to see Buckbeak the other day."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Really? How did Beaky react to that?"

"He likes him," said Alison, laughing, "surprising, I know."

They arrived in the library and got straight to work, discussing ideas, asking questions and writing as much of their essays as they could. Alison had managed to write one and a half rolls of parchment before they were interrupted. Pansy Parkinson stormed into the library and pushed Alison in her seat. Alison stood up angrily.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"You told Draco to break up with me!" shrieked Pansy.

Alison shook her head, "I didn't tell – wait, what?"

"Draco just broke up with me and when I asked him why, he told me that it was something that _you _said!"

"Wow, I don't believe he actually listened to me," said Alison amazed.

"Well he did, so thanks to you, I have lost my boyfriend!" shouted Pansy pushing Alison.

"Hey I was looking out for you!" snapped Alison, pushing her back.

"By telling him to break up with me?" shrieked Pansy.

"He was using you, Pansy, he didn't even like you,"

"You just want him for yourself!" said Pansy.

Alison laughed and Hermione let out a little giggle. Pansy turned to her.

"You keep your mouth shut, mudblood!"

Alison suddenly stopped laughing and pushed Pansy into a nearby bookcase.

"Don't you _ever_ call her that again, ok?" Alison hissed.

Pansy stepped towards her and pushed her again. Soon they broke out in a fight. Pansy pulled Alison's hair. Alison scratched Pansy's arms away. They punched. They kicked. They slapped. A small crowd had gathered and were cheering, not that either of the girls noticed. They were finally dragged apart by Professor Snape who had been called in by Madam Pince.

"That is enough," he said, holding them apart, "five points each from Slytherin. Next time it will be ten points and detention. Mr Zabini, Mr Malfoy, escort Miss Lewis and Miss Parkinson to the hospital wing."

Draco and Blaise stepped out of the crowd. Draco whispered something to Blaise who groaned and nodded. He went over to Pansy and took her to the hospital wing. Draco walked over to Alison and smiled slightly at her. Alison scowled a little, picked up her things, said bye to Hermione then followed Draco out of the library.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Draco cleared his throat and spoke up.

"I guess that was my fault?" he asked.

Alison sighed, "Only partly. She called Hermione a mudblood."

"She wouldn't have even been there if I hadn't blamed you for me breaking up with her."

"About that," said Alison, "you _actually_ listened to me! "

"Yeah," said Draco, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, "well, I guessed you were right – I was using her. I know I do a lot of terrible things but I don't really like the idea of me pretending to like someone I don't."

Alison sensed his discomfort so she tried to lighten the mood, "Which is why you will never be really nice to Harry."

Draco laughed as they arrived at the hospital wing. Pansy was just leaving. Blaise let her walk off and stayed with Alison and Draco.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review. I will try to update soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter etc.**

Chapter 7:

It was the morning of the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff and the weather was terrible. It had been raining all night and grown worse with thunder and lightning. Alison was sure that Dumbledore would cancel it, but the collection of banners and flags scattered around the Great Hall at breakfast proved otherwise.

Before sitting at the Slytherin table, Alison decided to stop at the Hufflepuff table to see Cedric Diggory. He was talking to his friends when she approached him. Some of them glared at her whilst others seemed afraid. Alison just smiled at them all and tapped Cedric on the shoulder.

"Hi," he said with a smile.

"Hey, I just wanted to wish you good luck with the match; the weather is terrible out there," said Alison smiling supportively.

"Thanks," replied Cedric, "though I shouldn't worry. If it was dangerous, Dumbledore would have cancelled the match."

Alison nodded, "I suppose so. Anyway I better get to my table. Good luck."

Alison smiled and waved as she left the Hufflepuff table. It seemed that Cedric's friends had lightened up a bit and some even sent her a small smile as she walked away. When she sat down at the Slytherin table, Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I was being supportive," said Alison, helping herself to a bowl of cereal.

"But he's a Hufflepuff," said Draco.

"So?"

Draco shrugged, "It's just weird that's all."

Alison rolled her eyes and ate her breakfast.

People were beginning to leave the Great Hall so they could get the best seats for the match. Oliver Wood waved at Alison as he led the Gryffindor team out. She gave him a thumbs-up and a smile in return.

"Maybe we should get going?" Alison suggested.

Draco, Blaise and Lucian shrugged, whilst Crabbe and Goyle continued to eat. Alison sighed, stood up and left. The boys soon followed her. The rain was still really heavy so they all put up their hoods, though it didn't protect them much. The grass was slippery and Alison slipped a few times on the way to the Quidditch pitch, only to be held up by Lucian who wouldn't let go of her arm.

They found seats in the stands and as soon as the game began, booing echoed from the Slytherin stands towards the Gryffindors. Alison however stayed neutral and cheered when either team scored a goal.

The weather grew more and more violent; the wind pushed the players around on their broomsticks. The visibility wasn't too good but within half an hour, Alison could see the Snitch and a red blur chasing after it. The flash of gold flew past the Slytherin stands, quickly followed by Harry. Alison cheered for him as he sped past, much to the dislike of her fellow Slytherins. She tried to keep her eye on Harry but became distracted by a flash of lightning hitting the broom of one of the Gryffindor players. She couldn't tell who it was but they managed to regain control and get back in the game.

"This is getting dangerous!" Alison yelled to Lucian over the noise of the crowd and the rain, "Why won't Dumbledore stop it?"

"Quidditch is a rough game, Ali, you know that," replied Lucian, "they can't cancel a match just because the weather is bad."

Alison bit her lip as she watched the players get beaten by the rain and each other. She could see the Snitch again, only this time, a yellow blur was close behind it, followed by Harry – Cedric was in the lead. They disappeared into the storm clouds high above the stadium, leaving the crowd to watch the rest of the match. After a few minutes, Cedric came falling out of the sky, still holding onto his broom. Alison called his name as he managed to control his broom again. He sent a smile her way before speeding back into the clouds.

Screams echoed throughout the crowd. Alison looked around frantically before realising what was happening. Harry had fallen off his broom and was hurtling towards the ground. Alison shrieked just as Dumbledore performed a spell to slow Harry down before he hit the floor.

"Diggory's caught the Snitch!" yelled Lucian.

Alison didn't care. She pushed through the crowd of Slytherins and exited the stands. She sprinted onto the pitch and joined the small crowd of Gryffindors that had gathered around Harry. Hermione grabbed her arm emotionally as they stood next to each other. Hagrid strode over and picked Harry up.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Alison asked Hermione.

"I hope so," she replied, as they followed Hagrid to the hospital wing.

* * *

Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Seamus Finnegan and Alison gathered around Harry's bed in the hospital wing. Professor McGonagall arrived after a few minutes carrying something wrapped up in a sheet – Harry's broomstick. It was smashed into pieces.

"What happened to it?" asked Seamus in shock.

"I'm afraid it flew into the Whomping Willow," replied McGonagall.

Everyone groaned as she left, leaving the broom with Ron. They all looked back at Harry who was still unconscious.

"He looks a bit peaky, doesn't he?" asked Ron.

"Peaky?" asked George.

"What do you expect?" said Fred, "He fell over a hundred feet!"

"Yeah, come on Ron," said George, "let's walk you off the Astronomy tower."

"And see what you look like," finished Fred.

Another voice joined the conversation, "Probably a right side better than he normally does,"

Everyone laughed as Harry sat up in his bed. Alison handed him his glasses.

"How are you feeling?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, brilliant!" replied Harry sarcastically.

"No need for sarcasm, we were worried, Harry," said Alison, putting a hand on his arm.

"Yeah, you gave us a right good scare there, mate," said George.

"What happened?" asked Harry.

"Well," said Ron nervously, "you fell off your broom."

"Really?" Harry sarcastically asked, "I meant the match – who won?"

Everyone shared awkward looks. Harry sighed, annoyed with himself.

Hermione stood up and put a hand on his shoulder, "No one blames you, Harry. The Dementors aren't supposed to come inside the grounds. Dumbledore was furious. As soon as he saved you he sent them straight off."

Alison nudged Ron and motioned towards the sheets in his hands. Ron nodded and spoke up.

"There's uh, something else you should know too, Harry. Um, when you fell, your broom, it-it sort of flew into the Whomping Willow and..." he unravelled the sheets and showed Harry the remains of his Nimbus 2000, "and well, its, um..."

Harry groaned.

"Don't worry, Harry," said Alison, "maybe someone could fix it? Professor Flitwick might be able to."

"I doubt it," sighed Harry.

Alison took the broom from Ron, "No, it's worth a try. I'll take it to him now."

Flitwick had told Alison that it was impossible to fix Harry's broom. When she arrived back in the hospital wing, Harry was alone, sitting on the edge of his bed. He sent Alison a half smile when he saw her.

"Madam Pomfrey said I can go, but I thought I'd wait for you," he said, sliding off the bed, "what did Flitwick say?"

Alison shrugged a shoulder, "He can't fix it, Harry. I'm sorry."

Harry looked down sadly and took the remains of his broom from Alison.

"I'm sure you could get another in time for the next match,"

"I hope so," replied Harry.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry about the lack of updates. Thanks for still reading!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter etc**

Chapter 8:

It had been weeks since the match and it was getting closer to the Christmas holidays. Alison had written to her aunt and uncle asking them if she could visit for a few days but she hadn't received a reply. She could tell that Lucian was hoping that she wouldn't go back there, even if it was only for a few days.

Fortunately for Alison, the last Hogsmeade trip before the Christmas holidays would be without Pansy. Lucian was going to hang out with his fellow sixth years as Alison suggested that he spent time with people his own age. This left Alison with Draco, Blaise, Crabbe and another of Draco's friends who she didn't know. He didn't seem to acknowledge her so she kept her distance.

It had been snowing and enough had settled to make Hogsmeade look like it was covered in icing. Once they got there, Draco suggested that they went to the Shrieking Shack. Alison groaned, wanting to go somewhere warm for a while first so they split up into two groups and decided to meet outside The Three Broomsticks later. Draco, Crabbe and the unnamed friend went to the Shrieking Shack whilst Alison and Blaise went to Honeydukes.

Alison smiled as the warmth of the sweet shop hit her. Blaise hurried over to the Chocolate Frogs whilst Alison took her time and examined all of the sweets. She was trying to decide between Fizzing Whizzbees and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans when her attention was caught by three shouts of fear. She looked around to see Draco, Crabbe and the other Slytherin running into the shop. Alison hurried over to them and put both hands on Draco's shoulders in an attempt to calm him down.

"What's wrong?" she asked when he stopped screaming, though he still had a panicked look in his eyes.

"We were-we were by the Shrieking Shack and something...weird happened. Something attacked us!" he stuttered.

Alison raised an eyebrow, "You were by the Shrieking Shack – strange things were bound to happen. It could have been a poltergeist or something."

Draco grabbed her arm, "Come on, you have to see!"

He dragged her outside and the others, including Blaise, followed them. As they marched to the Shrieking Shack, she noticed Ron and Hermione walking in the opposite direction, talking to someone. She almost walked right past them until she noticed who that _someone_ was. Then it clicked.

"Draco, what were you doing by the Shrieking Shack?" she asked him, smiling at Harry as he snuck past with Ron and Hermione.

"W-what?"

"Was it just you three?" asked Alison, stopping them and looking round at the boys.

"No, Granger and Weasley were-" Crabbe started, before Draco elbowed him in the stomach.

Alison shook her head, "Draco, you were picking on Hermione and Ron again, weren't you?"

Draco frowned and stared at the ground.

"Well, I guess you got what you deserve," snapped Alison, folding her arms.

Draco looked up at her angrily, "You're always siding with _them_; you'd think that being a Slytherin would make you stick up for us once in a while."

Alison rolled her eyes, "I stick up for what I think is right, Draco,"

They stared each other down for a while until Draco finally looked away, mumbling to himself and starting to walk off. Alison stopped him, a sudden pang of guilt running through her.

"I'm sorry that I keep moaning at you," she said, "it's just that, sometimes you do things that I really don't like – you hurt my friends. I know it'll be pretty impossible to change the way you act but I can at least try – it's the effort that counts."

Draco shrugged then nodded and continued walking but Alison stopped him again. She looked around at all of the boys and sighed.

"Come on, let's go and get a nice cup of hot chocolate from Madam Puddifoots,"

* * *

When they arrived back at the castle, Alison, Blaise and Draco sat in the common room around the fireplace, trying to stay warm. Lucian soon joined them and they all sat around talking. Alison was curled up on the small green armchair and was drifting off until someone hit her on the back of the head. The boys groaned as Alison turned around to see Pansy. She frowned at her.

"What was that for?" snapped Alison.

Pansy held out a small owl with a letter attached to its leg.

"This came for you; it wouldn't stop tapping on the window!" said Pansy, angrily.

She dropped the owl in Alison's hands and stormed off. Alison looked around at the boys who were staring at the owl curiously. She took the letter from the owl that perched on her shoulder as she read it. Alison frowned as she read the letter.

"What? What's wrong?" asked Lucian.

"My aunt and uncle won't let me visit them!" she said, passing the letter to Lucian.

"Why not?" asked Draco, sitting on the arm of Alison's chair.

"They don't want to talk about my parents,"

"Ali, maybe this is a good thing – you don't need to know who your parents are because you have me, mum and dad,"

"But they're _your_ mum and dad, Lucian. I need to know about _my_ parents," said Alison sadly, folding her arms.

Draco put a hand on her shoulder, "Maybe you could try and find out some other way? I could ask my father if you want."

Alison smiled slightly, "Really?" Draco smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Draco,"

They continued to smile at each other until Blaise cleared his throat.

"So does this mean that you're coming home for the whole of the holiday?" asked Lucian.

"I guess," muttered Alison.

Lucian raised an eyebrow at her lack of excitement before handing her the letter back.

"We could come and visit you if you want?" suggested Blaise, Draco nodding in agreement.

Alison smiled, "Yeah, that'd be cool."

* * *

**Again, sorry about the lack of updates. I am starting my second year of university and may be limited on time, but I have planned to update a chapter of at least one story every two weeks (minimum). Thank you for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter etc.**

Chapter 9:

Alison had spent most of the holiday up in her room, thinking about her aunt and uncle. Lucian had tried a number of times to distract her but she hardly enjoyed herself; some part of her mind was always thinking about her family and the lies that they had told her. By Christmas Eve, Lucian had decided to call in reinforcements. He called Alison into the living room that morning. She skulked inside but smiled when she saw why – Draco and Blaise were sitting on the sofa.

"Well, get a coat on – we're going outside!" said Blaise after she hugged them.

Alison nodded and hurriedly put on a warm coat, hat, scarf and gloves. The four of them went out to the snow covered garden. It wasn't long before Blaise threw a snowball at Draco who shouted in response and threw one back, only to hit Alison. He tried to hold back a laugh as he apologised but failed and laughed at the look of shock on Alison's face. She frowned and picked up a handful of snow. Draco began to back away slowly as she approached him, his hands up in front of him. Alison charged at him as he turned to run away and leapt on his back, smothering his head with the freezing snow. Draco tried to grab at her but she jumped away and sprinted to hide behind Lucian.

"I'll get you back, Ali," said Draco confidently, running a hand through his hair to get rid of the snow.

Alison stuck her tongue out at him and hid behind Lucian again. Neither of them noticed Blaise sneaking up behind them. He picked Alison up, making her to scream and laugh, and he broke out into a run with her in his arms. Alison's flailing made them fall, both of them becoming covered in snow. Alison started giggling as she sat there whilst Blaise chuckled and got to his feet. Draco walked over to them and held a hand out to help Alison up. She took it and pulled him to the ground next to her.

"Too easy, Draco," she said through her giggles.

They had snowball fights for the entire day and finally dragged their feet inside once it started to get dark.

* * *

Draco and Blaise stayed for Christmas day. They gathered round the tree with Alison, Lucian and Mr and Mrs Bole and exchanged presents whilst sipping warm butterbeer. Draco sent Alison a smile whilst he handed Lucian his gift. He hadn't given her a present, not that she minded. She wasn't really in the mood for Christmas and getting presents.

Mr and Mrs Bole made their way to the kitchen to prepare dinner and everyone went their separate ways to their rooms. As Alison began to walk up the stairs someone grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the spare room. Draco closed and locked the door behind them.

"What are you doing?" asked Alison with her arms folded.

He smirked and dangled a small green silk bag in front of her face. Alison raised an eyebrow.

"How about, we go and see your aunt and uncle?"

Alison gasped and snatched the bag from his hand, jumping up and down on the spot. Draco took the bag back and threw some of the floo powder into the fireplace at the opposite side of the room.

'After you,' he said with a smile.

Alison hurried over to the fireplace and stepped into it. She shouted out her aunt and uncle's address. Keeping her arms folded, she whizzed through the network. It was a smooth journey until she was violently thrown in a different direction. She sped up and was hurled into a dimly lit room.

'You may want to move out of the way, Miss Lewis,' said a calm voice.

Alison shuffled to the side just as Draco came flying through the fireplace. He quickly got to his feet and scowled.

'What are we doing here?' he asked, helping Alison to her feet.

'The route to Miss Lewis' aunt and uncle's house has been blocked and redirected to here,' said Professor Dumbledore.

He stepped around his desk and stood in front of the two students.

'I told you that you do not need to know about your father, Miss Lewis, not yet at least. Your aunt and uncle will not be any help as I have instructed them to tell you nothing.'

'But, Professor, I have a right to know,' said Alison, stepping forward, 'I want to know who my family is.'

'You will in time, Miss Lewis, but for now, you must do as I say.'

'This is ridiculous,' said Draco, standing in front of Alison, 'it's her family.'

'I am aware of that, Mr Malfoy, but it is not yours or Miss Lewis' decision to make,' Dumbledore gestured towards the fire, 'I'd appreciate it if you will not investigate this further. You will know, eventually. Now, I'm sure that your new family are missing you.'

Stubbornly, Alison then Draco stepped into the fire and travelled back to the Bole house. They stumbled out of the fireplace, one after the other, Draco leaping straight to his feet.

'He can't do that, Ali,' he snapped, helping her up.

Alison looked as if all the energy had been drained out of her: her face was grey, her posture weak, her lips barely moved as she spoke.

'He's Albus Dumbledore, Draco. He can do what he wants.'

She dragged her feet as she approached the door, which swung open as she reached for the handle. Lucian stood in the doorway, a scowl on his face.

'So, what were you two up to?' he asked, folding his arms.

'Not now, Lucian, I want to go to bed,' sighed Alison, trying and failing to push past him.

Lucian looked past her and at Draco's hands. He was holding the small bag.

'Is that floo powder?' he didn't wait for an answer, 'I knew you would do this, Alison. You couldn't just leave it alone, could you?'

'This has nothing to do with you, Lucian,' groaned Alison, 'you wouldn't understand – you know who your family is.'

He shook his head and said quietly, 'I _thought_ I did.'

* * *

**Thank you for reading. Sorry about the lack of updates.**


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